Golf Grand Slam winner Gary Player believes Jack Nicklaus deserves the title of the greatest golfer of all time – but admitted it is too hard to compare players from different periods of time. The 89-year-old sporting icon gave his thoughts on the debate just a couple of years before Rory McIlroy would enter the fray with his defining win at the Masters.
It was an extremely tense affair, but McIlroy finally put an end to his 11-year wait for a major by emerging victorious at Augusta. His Masters victory not only added the famed green jacket to his collection, but saw him become the sixth player in golf history to complete the career Grand Slam.
The Northern Irishman didn’t make things easy for himself, however, as he missed a short putt that could’ve sealed his place in history much earlier on.
Yet, he managed to get the better of Justin Rose in a heart-stopping play-off for victory. With this win, McIlroy clocked up his fifth major, having previously notched up wins at two PGA Championships (2012, 2014), along with victories at the US Open (2011) and the Open Championship (2014).
In comparison, Player won three Masters titles (1961, 1974, 1978), two PGA Championships (1962 and 1972), a US Open (1965), and three Open Championships (1959, 1968, 1974) – giving him a good standing on who his best ever player would be.
But in a discussion with the Palm Beach Post back in 2023, Player hadn’t named McIlroy in his list of legends just yet.
At the time Player was sharing his insights, though, McIlroy hadn’t quite swung his way into his list of legends. He said: “Bobby Jones might be the best player that ever lived. He played with a walking stick as a shaft. You played with the ball that went 80 yards less.”
Additionally, Player praised Ben Hogan, declaring him “the best player I ever saw from tee to green. (He) knew more about the swing than anybody I’ve ever met by a mile. Ben Hogan would turn in his grave if he saw what some of the pros are teaching now on the backswing.”
Discussing the essential qualities of a golfer, he added: “If you want to pick the top five, put what they did on a piece of paper, right? People don’t want to do that. Not how long they hit. No ifs. Everybody’s got an if.
“So I’d have to say Jack (Nicklaus). After that, I don’t know. I think Tiger Woods. He was unfortunate. His knees and his back and his car accident. What would happen if that never happened? There’s the ‘if’.”
McIlroy has joined the elite club as only the sixth player to achieve a career Grand Slam, alongside legends like Player, Woods, Nicklaus, Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. With little time to rest, he’s already eyeing his next major challenge.
McIlroy is set to chase his third PGA Championship title when the tournament kicks off on May 15. But for now, he’s taking the time to relish this historic achievement.
Reflecting on the victory, McIlroy said: “When I hit the wedge shot into the creek on 13 I felt I did a good job of bouncing back.
“I was really nervous going out. It was almost as if the double bogey [at the first] calmed my nerves a little bit and got me into it. All week I responded to setbacks and that’s what I’ll remember. I’m so proud of that and being able to bounce back.”
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